Isn’t it is a joy to see some colorful fish swimming around in a tank, whether they are in the home, office or any other place? Indeed it is but sometimes these fish and their whole world the aquarium gets neglected.
What Does It Mean To Have A Neglected Fish Tank?
- neglected fish tank smell
- neglected fish tank is cloudy
- Raised ammonia increases in the water, causing toxicity, gill damage, and increased death rate.
- Balanced pH ratio is crucial to keep the fish from taking adverse effects from the water.
- If not food shortage in the neglected fish tank doesn’t kill the fish the chemical and polluted water does.
Fish are kept as a merchandise or as decoration, The tanks they are kept cannot look after themselves Fish aquariums and tanks require regular cleaning care and if they are not kept clean and are not looked after, the fish you are keeping can experience causalities and, keeping fish tanks and aquariums well maintained can be quite a time consuming and difficult, sometimes intentionally or non-intentionally, due to lack of attention the fish tanks and aquariums get neglected.
Neglected fish aquariums are not a problem for the fish living in them but also to the environment around them they can cause smell because of the waste made by fish, and if the fish die inside the fish tank their remains also mess up the water badly causing them to rot and smell terrible.
Another factor contributing to the negligence of fish tanks is leakage these tanks need to be inspected for any leakage because if they start leaking they can create quite a mess.
Sometimes the people keeping fish tanks in homes go out for long times or move out of the house but forget to take these tanks or aquariums with them. The filters installed also need to be in perfect working condition, they are responsible for the water clean removing chemicals and excess carbon, etc.
Some factors related to neglected fish tanks and aquariums that can help you to point out a neglected aquarium or tank, and also what are the hazards of a neglected fish tank, furthermore you will be guided through simple and easy steps on how you can prevent your or someone you know who cannot look after fish tanks keep their tank and aquarium up and running.
Do not stress out, if your fish tank is going towards the state of negligence, this article will be your complete guide to how to determine a neglected aquarium and some effective and proved ways to restore your neglected fish tank to fish heaven.
Neglected Aquarium Smell
When an aquarium or fish tank is neglected it starts to smell, for a few days the smell is non-noticeable, but as time passes this smell increases and can be noticed all around the area where the fish tank is present. There can be many reasons for an aquarium or a fish tank to smell.
These reasons can be as follows:
- The water started to stink and needs to be changed.
- The water filter of the tank stopped working.
- Most probably a fish could have died which is causing an awful smell.
- Another reason for smelling can be over-feeding the fish. The leftover fish food can cause bacteria and algae which may be causing the smell.
Neglected Fish Tank Is Cloudy
Cloudiness is a clear sign that the fish tank is going towards the state of negligence. The cloudiness does not appear instantly but starts with an amount that is un-noticeable but it grows to quite a noticeable amount as the time passes and the fish can also start to disappear in this thick cloudiness. When the water in your marine museum turns cloudy and fish start to disappear into a hazy thick fog, you can start to worry.
Some causes of cloudiness can be:
- Bacterial inhabitation.
- Stinky water.
- Food and fish waste.
- Overstocking of fish.
- Algae growth.
You can remove the cloudiness in the fish by leaving the filter on even overnight, regular changing of water, keeping an eye out for algae growth. Keep the fair quantity of fish for which the aquarium is intended for do not overcrowd the tank.
Water Chemistry In Neglected Fish Tank
The water in the fish tanks is the whole world for the fish because they have to live in this limited amount of water. Sometimes this water can act as a medium between various chemicals and the fish. If the water is not kept clean the fish can be vulnerable to various harmful chemicals and get stressed.
Following are some chemical factors often found in neglected fish tanks and aquariums and cause damage to the fish:
Ammonia:
Ammonia is the major cause of death of fish in an aquarium, ammonia can cause difficulties for fish in excreting bodily wastes through the skin, which causes waste to accommodate in fish’s body and cause its death eventually, it can be introduced into the aquarium environment by various means such as:
- Dead fish or plants.
- Uneaten food.
- Fish feces.
As ammonia increases in the water, so do the waste products increase in the fish’s blood, causing toxicity, gill damage, and increased death rate. Properly operating filtration systems should keep the aquarium ammonia levels less than 0.2 mg/L.
Nitrites:
Nitrites tend to grow slowly in the aquatic environment but they can be hazardous to both the environment and fish. Nitrites grow from the accommodations of ammonia in the aquarium. Nitrites give rise to nitrified bacteria. The most common reason for the ammonia accumulation and rise of nitrates is overcrowding the aquarium this is called “New Tank Syndrome”. Nitrite should be maintained at a level of less than 0.2 mg/L. Nitrites are the main cause of algae growth in aquatic growth.
pH (Acid/Base) level:
pH is basically the measure of acid and base balance of the tank water. Freshwater is highly adaptive to pH changes if the pH becomes more acidic, or more basic than the normal value it can be harmful to fish in both the cases.
Following is a scale for pH measurement and tools such as pH paper or digital pH detectors can be used:
- 7.0 pH= normal.
- Less than 7.0 pH = Acidic.
- Greater than 7.0 pH = Basic
Maintaining a balanced pH ratio is crucial to keep the fish from taking adverse effects from the water.
Neglected Aquarium And Life Span Of Fish
The effects of a neglected fish tank on fish can be very harmful and threatening, Most of the fish cannot survive for long without proper care and food supply, most fish die within two to three days of not getting proper care, food, and water change. Sometimes the factors affecting the health of fish are not clearly visible but still fish continue to die one by one, so a regular check can prove to be beneficial.
The life span of fish also depends upon what type of fish you are keeping in the aquarium, if you take goldfish for example goldfish can survive up to 2-3 days without proper care and the catfish can survive up to a couple of days or even a week. If factors like food shortage don’t kill the fish the chemical and polluted water is enough to knock out the fish.
How To Prevent To Not Get In Stage Of Neglected Fish Tank?
Fish are also living creatures just like cats and dogs, they also require proper care like other pets, and neglected fish tanks can not only be dangerous to fish but the environment around the aquarium too, plus you can get all stressed and worried about your fish dying or getting sick.
Many new marine life keepers get stressed with fish losses or maybe whole tank failures after they initially start with the fish keeping hobby. Most of the newbie’s miss out on basic principles that are necessary for fish keeping success.
Here a few quick tips and methods to prevent your aquarium or fish tank from negligence, and make you messed up aquarium into a new and restored fish heaven:
- Keep the number of fish, the tank is intended for you. Do not induce “new tank syndrome”. Measure water in the tank in gallons. Apply this simple and universal rule: “1 gram of fish per 4 liters of water”.
Set Regular Cleaning Routine:
- Check the aquarium regularly for any unusual changes or changed fish behavior.
- Clean the tank regularly; cleaning includes cleaning the fish waste, uneaten food, and dead plants.
- Do not overfeed – this is one of the most common causes of fish loss. Uneaten food quickly breaks down into toxic ammonia. Only give the fish as much food as they can consume in 3-5 minutes, twice daily. There should never be any uneaten food left in the aquarium. Missing feedings for a few days won’t hurt healthy fish when other factors in the aquarium are stable.
Water Chemistry with the kit:
- Check the pH of the water on a regular basis if you cannot check it on a regular basis make a routine check within 2 to 3 days. There are water chemistry kits available that can easily determine chemical and pH levels of the water.
- If you are facing continuous problems regarding maintaining and cleaning your fish tank, you can also get the help of professionals and learn from them.
- Check for bacterial accumulations in the tank, usually, bacteria accumulate from 4-6 weeks until it becomes visible but it can grow a lot faster if not taken care of the fish tank.
Partial Water Change:
- Make sure you check the aquarium for leakages because if there is not a suitable amount of water present in the tank, waste accumulation occurs faster and can cause the death of fish.
- It is not mandatory that you change all of every day, try changing it partially replace a little portion of fish tank water every day.
- You can use different anti-fungus and antibacterial products for proper care of the tank; these products are easily available in stores as well as online as well.
Fish And Plants Observation:
- Look after the fish closely and if you notice any unusual behavior or laziness in your pet fish, seek medical care and use prescribed medications, take mandatory steps to take care of fish and plants inside the aquarium and remove dead plants and fish remains.
By following some simple rules discussed above you can not only maintain your aquatic environment but also keep your pet fish healthy and fresh.
